


Let the Light In

by theletterdee



Series: Spark - Modern AU [2]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blind Date, F/F, Varric the Matchmaker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 01:16:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5438093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theletterdee/pseuds/theletterdee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another prompt from darling angiemartinellicarter who has been so patient with me writing this and I’m very happy that she’s being a grown up and getting a job that will hopefully challenge her and let her shine to the fullest of her abilities. I’m so proud of you, my darling.</p>
<p>Anyways, the prompt was Cassandra and Bree Lavellan’s first date/blind date and I hope you enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let the Light In

Cassandra crossed her arms and rocked back and forth on the heels of her feet, her mind whirling with various thoughts. She was early, a little too early, but going somewhere new and meeting someone new always increased her punctuality (something Varric teased her about, Maker, why did she agree to this?). The days were getting warmer with spring turning into summer and she didn’t mind waiting outside in the sunshine for her blind date. **  
**

She’d tried, very hard, to pry information out of Varric about her mystery date. He held fast, only telling her the bare minimum. Her date’s name was Bree, she was a long time friend of Varric’s, she was fairly quiet, but it was the romantic soul that had prompted Varric into setting the two of them together. Cassandra knew she had red hair and freckles, as well as the tendency “ _to flit around like a damned bird_ ” according to Varric.

She wondered what he told Bree about her.

She wondered if Bree would show up at all.

Cassandra could feel her cheeks heat in slight shame, she shouldn’t think such thoughts about someone she’s never met. Varric, though an ass, always tried his best when it came to his friends, if he thought she and Bree were a good match, then she would put the effort towards this date. It’s the least she could do for him after their rocky start of a friendship. A glance at her watch told her that she still had some time to wait and so Cassandra sat down on the bench outside the small cafe and pulled out her slightly battered copy of _Hard in Hightown_. She still hadn’t forgiven Varric for killing off her favorite character, but besides _Swords & Shields_, this was her favorite of his novels.

She sank into the narrative, finding comfort in the familiar story, her heart predictably constricting whenever her favorite characters were in trouble. The novel was just starting to build when she heard rapid footsteps approaching her. Cassandra looked up out of curiosity and saw a lithe elf headed her way.

Varric never mentioned Bree was an elf, not that it bothered Cassandra, but he could have at least told her.

“I’m not late, am I?” Bree sounded slightly out of breath as though she’d ran the whole way here.

“No,” Cassandra shook her head after checking her watch, “I’m just early.”

Bree smiled and Cassandra was struck dumb for a moment at the sight, “Varric might have mentioned that you have an ‘ _almost religious habit of showing up early_ ’. I apologize for making you wait, my work called me in for an emergency and I barely had enough time to change.”

Cassandra rolled her eyes slightly at the mention of Varric, “He mentioned that, did he? You didn’t need to change on my account.”

That got her a light laugh, “Oh believe me, I did. Didn’t want to give the wrong impression showing up to a blind date in scrubs covered with blood.”

“Doctor?” Cassandra asked as she put her book away and stood.

“Nurse, emergency room to be specific, though I rotate through the departments whenever they need me to,” Bree smiled. “What about you? Varric refused to tell me anything beyond ‘ _short dark hair, piercing eyes, and usually seen with a book_ ’.”

She let out a disgusted sigh, something that was habit whenever Varric was either around or mentioned, “That dwarf, I swear.”

“He has a certain charm, doesn’t he?”

“If you can call it that,” Cassandra scoffed, but smiled when Bree laughed. “I’m a police officer, a detective in fact.”

“Sounds exciting.”

“So does being a nurse.”

Bree laughed again, “At least neither of us are strangers to odd hours and hectic schedules. Bree Lavellan,” she stuck out her hand in greeting.

“That is true. Cassandra Pentaghast,” Cassandra smiled as she shook Bree’s hand, the two of them entering the cafe. Cassandra bid Bree to walk ahead of her as they were guided to a table, the conversation halting momentarily while their waitress took their orders. “I would ask how a nurse met someone like Varric, but knowing his antics and those of his associates, I’m not all that surprised.”

Bree grinned, “We know each other, have for awhile, but not because of anything he or his merry band of misfits got into that required my medical knowledge. I was in a bit of a situation several years ago and Varric helped me without wanting anything in return. When I showed up on his doorstep pregnant and alone a few years later, he took me in, gave me a place to stay and helped me through the pregnancy and eventual birth of my son.”

Cassandra’s eyebrows rose in slight amazement, “That does sound like something Varric would do, but you didn’t hear that from me.”

“Have a reputation to uphold?” Bree smirked.

“Something like that.”

“Then my lips are sealed,” the elf blew gently on her tea before taking a sip. A grimace crossed her face before she reached over and added more honey to the cup. “What about you? How did you meet the illustrious Varric Tethras?”

“A case. You might remember it, the terrorist attack on the Chantry.”

“I do remember that, I had just started at the hospital then. Varric was involved?”

“One of his friends, or former friends as he told me, was and I was looking for answers.”

Bree’s eyes lit up as she remembered something, “ _You’re_ the one who stabbed the book!”

Cassandra could feel her ears burning, “He told you?”

“He did, I think he was trying to get pity from me, but it didn’t work,” Bree chuckled. “I told him that he probably deserved your ire after making a wiseass remark.”

She hid a grin behind her hand at Bree’s response, “It wasn’t entirely justified on my part, I had been interrogating a lot of people that day and he was not helping matters.”

“The man’s a scoundrel and half the time you can’t tell if he’s lying or telling the truth, so I side with you on that matter.”

“Good to know, I’ll bring it up in future arguments with him.” Cassandra revelled in Bree’s laughter. It had been so long, so, so long since she’d been out on a date that wasn’t one between friends. It felt good, she had to admit. Even if he was an ass most of the time, she had to owe this one to Varric, he knew how to match people. Cassandra glanced up from her food to take a longer look at Bree, silence had fallen between the two of them as they ate but it didn’t feel awkward as she thought it would. Bright patches of pink had settled on Bree’s freckled cheeks as a result of her laughter, even while eating she had a small smile. The red hair wasn’t as bright as Cassandra thought it would be, it reminded her of a fire or that perfect shade of red mixed with orange and gold in a sunset as it curled around Bree’s shoulders and down her back. Her gaze traveled to Bree’s eyes and Cassandra jumped when she saw Bree staring back, eyes laughing. Immediately, Cassandra blushed and became very interested in her food.

“So you’re a cop,” Bree started after Cassandra averted her eyes, laughter evident in her voice. “Ever have an interesting case that no one would ever believe?”

“Well,” Cassandra said into her pasta before leaning back in her seat, “there is one…” She delved into the tale, even adding hand movements like she’d seen Varric do a few times around their group of friends, Bree resting her chin on her hands, enthralled with every last detail.

* * *

 

After the meal, neither of them really wanted the date to end, especially not on a rare day off for both of them. They walked out of the cafe and stood near the bench Cassandra had been at a few hours before.

Bree shyly tucked loose hair behind her ears, “I… I don’t know if you’d like to, but, um…”

“What?”

“Well, I have to go pick up my son from school, you’re, um, more than welcome to come with me. That’s if you want to, I don’t want to pressure you or anythi-,” Bree put up her hands while she spoke to prevent an inevitable rejection on Cassandra’s part.

Cassandra gently reached up and grasped Bree’s hands in hers, shocking the shorter woman into silence, “I’d love to, Bree.”

Bree squeezed Cassandra’s hands and dropped them as she ducked her head. Cassandra could make out a faint sniffle, one of Bree’s hands disappearing underneath her hair. How often had Bree been turned down because she had a child? How many times did something promising start only to screech to a halt because of something like this? “Lucas will be excited, he likes meeting new people.”

“Judging on what you told me, I’m excited to meet him too,” Cassandra smiled and offered her hand to Bree, a pleasant warmth spreading through her when Bree took it. There was an ease to the interaction between them, even though they’d just met that day. Cassandra liked it, in a world of complexities and unknowns perhaps there could be one thing that just fell into place like it was naturally supposed to happen. A small part of her was scared at the ease, the thought that she could so easily fall for the person walking beside her so fast compared to her prior relationship. Looking over at Bree’s profile and feeling Bree’s slender fingers in between her own, Cassandra smiled and left that thought for a later date.

The school wasn’t far from the cafe and was just getting out right as the two of them walked up to it. A sea of children spilled out of the front doors of the building, an ever-changing mass of every color under the sun, grinning yellows, spinning reds, flashing blues. The sound of laughter, high-pitched voices excitedly talking with friends as they looked for loved ones graced Cassandra’s ears and it plucked at something within her. A faint dull ache settled beneath her sternum where her heart laid as she watched Bree scan the crowd for her son.

“Mamae!” A small boy with dark curls, equally dark eyes, and the biggest dimples Cassandra had ever seen, broke away from his friends and ran towards Bree with all his might. Bree easily caught her son and twirled him around, a wide, proud grin on her face as her son shrieked in laughter and babbled away about his day in school.

“Did you have fun today?” Bree asked Lucas.

He nodded, “We went over the alphabet again, Mamae. I knew all the letters!”

“Very good!” Bree pressed a kiss to his forehead and he giggled. She turned to Cassandra and smiled, “Lucas, I want you to meet someone. This is Cassandra Pentaghast.”

“Hi!” Lucas waved brightly and Cassandra had to grin. “I’m Lucas!”

“I am very pleased to meet you, Lucas.”

“You’re pretty,” Lucas grinned, his mother laughing lightly at the blush spreading across Cassandra’s cheeks. “Do you like my mum? Is that why you’re here?”

Cassandra cast a brief glance over to Bree, who had turned pink with her son’s questions. Lucas was a very perceptive and smart boy, so Cassandra settled on the truth, “I… I do like your mother, Lucas, so yes, that’s why I’m here.”

That seemed to satisfy Lucas, “Good, cause she’s been lonely and sad and I don’t like that.”

“Oh, Lucas,” Bree kissed the side of her son’s head, tears threatening to fall.

“It’s okay, Mamae! Cass’ndra will help you not feel so lonely!”

“I will,” Cassandra told Bree with a smile. “As long as you’ll have me.”

Bree nodded, her words failing her for a moment, “I’d like that.”

“One day at a time?”

“One day at a time.”

**Author's Note:**

> no I don't really know what that ending is, but I've thought too hard on it, so it'll stay.... for now


End file.
